Hello everyone! Welcome, once again, to another chapter of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption?
Thank you so much for reviewing. Your reviews always give me the strength to continue this fanfic, so please keep it up.
Anyway, in the previous chapter, I noticed how long the chapter was. So now that I've acknowledged that it can be a turnoff to some readers, I've decided to keep some chapters to a reasonable amount.
Also, I want to give some credit for this chapter and the previous one to MasamuneX23. He has been a great beta-reader, so be sure to thank him for the proofread work here and in the other chapter.
Now on with the chapter!
Chapter 15: The hospital, Night Raid moves out and…The Black Widow?
Within the room of a hospital, a brunette woman lay on a bed. She had been a victim of a terrible person, who had done so much to her body in more ways than one would imagine. Hence, her eyes were gone and covered by a white cloth, while her arm was covered in a medical cast since it was broken. At the same time, her mid-section was covered in some bandages while her private area was covered by the bed covers.
For some time now, the woman had been in that terrible condition. It wasn't known on what she was thinking, nor was there any indication of it. She just seemed quiet with no expression on her face until she heard the door open and close, like someone had inside.
"Who's there?" The woman asked. Her voice sounded pitiful and at the same time scared as she tilted her head to where she heard the door.
"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." said a familiar male voice.
The brunet woman was surprised. She knew that voice very well, as it immediately brought an expression of shock on her face. In fact, if she still had her eyes, she certainly would've widened them.
"It's you…The hero." The woman said.
"Yeah, it's me." The young man replied.
Right before him, Ben Tennyson was silently disturbed at what he was seeing. He could see the terrible state the woman was in and could feel the dread in him slowly rising as he took in the sight. He had seen people in beat up shapes before, but not in a way that a complete psychopath could do.
However, there wasn't time to think on that. The reason for that was because of the woman, who then spoke up at that moment.
"Why…" She asked. "Why didn't you come to save me again?"
Ben was silent to say. He knew the reason was because he wasn't in the Capital at the time. But at the same time, he knew that saying such won't ease the woman's worries. So rather than staying quiet, he took a seat on a wooden chair next to her and held his hands together.
"I'm so sorry." Ben apologized with sympathy. "I didn't think something like this would happen."
"I…see." The woman worded out.
"But, I can tell you this." Ben continued, this time with his words becoming bold. "Whoever that did this to you, I'll find them and make sure he doesn't get away with it."
"It wasn't a man." The woman said.
"Huh?" Ben questioned, slightly surprised. "So it was a girl?"
"Yes." The woman said. However, her tone seemed scared as she said it and continued. "I…I don't know why, but I can't remember her face exactly…I know she wore purple frame glasses and had black hair, but that's about it."
"I see." Ben replied.
The teen hero was now thoughtful on what he was told. It was obvious by the sudden change on his face as he then stared at the floor.
"That's basically what she told the authorities…" Ben thought deeply. "I guess I shouldn't have counted on it being so easy to –"
"Wait…there was another thing." The woman unintentionally interjected.
"What? There is?" Ben questioned. He had his attention back at the woman with a curious look on his face.
"Yes…I remember." The woman confirmed with a nod. However, it was easier said than done as she then seemed clearly disturbed. "I…I remember a strange pink light…She made it with her hand…It covered her hand…and with it she made these strange tentacles with the pink light…Then she…She then used to…"
"Wait!" Ben interjected. The teen was now serious. "I need to know something. By any chance did she have a cat face design on her shirt?"
"Um…now that you mentioned it…She did." The woman answered.
Ben's eyes widened a bit in response. There was no denying it in his mind that the knots were typing together. But just as that look came, a serious look took over before he then stood back on his feet.
"Do you know something?" The woman asked.
"Yeah…I do." Ben answered. "Try not to stress yourself; you've been through so much. I'll handle her myself."
The woman smiled. "Thank you. But can you do me a favor?"
"Huh?" Ben questioned.
"Please…kill her." The woman stated. "She killed my best friend. I want revenge."
Ben was silent to reply immediately. It was obvious by the woman's tone that she won't want a softer response from him. Fortunately, he was able to think of a response despite being so subtle about it.
"I will do what I must." Ben replied.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Outside the hospital, Ben stepped out of the building. He had finished his talk with the female victim and was quiet about it as he made his way to Aria, who was standing close by as she saw him coming. But nothing was said then until the teen hero passed her, with her following by his side.
"Found anything, Ben?" Aria asked.
"Yes, I did." Ben said with a serious tone. "I know who the serial killer is. It's my cousin, Sunny."
"Sunny?" Aria asked, confused and surprised. "You never mentioned her."
"There's a lot I haven't told you." Ben replied straightly. "I certainly wasn't counting on her to show up in this world of all places."
"Okay…So I'm guessing she's from your world then." Aria said.
"Yes, but worse." Ben said. "She's an alien."
"An alien?" Aria questioned with mild shock. "By alien…you mean those creatures from space, right? Then how is she your cousin?"
"It's…It's a long story, Aria." Ben said. "Right now, we should get away from the crowd. From there we should meet up with Satou and let him know that the serial killer will strike tonight."
"Tonight? Why would you think that?"
"It's just a hunch." Ben stated boldly. "A very strong hunch."
Aria said nothing back. She didn't know in detail on Ben's connection with the serial killer. But she did know one thing and it was the fact that whoever Sunny was, she was a force not to be reckoned with.
However, unknown to the duo, both of them passed an armored covered man. He was a man that was well respected by the Capital, just by the obvious looks of passersby as he made his way through the street. He was the Grand General of the Capital, General Budo, and was making his way to inquire about last night's incident.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Every member of Night Raid was assembled in the conference room. It was at some time in the afternoon, as Najenda was seated at her usual seat before everyone with her eye directly at them with an objective in mind.
"Our next target is the Black Widow." Najenda announced. "Prior to her latest attack on a woman, it has been confirmed that she's responsible for the random deaths of thugs, thieves and any lowlife shady person in the Capital. The only reason this is coming into light now is because of the execution of Zank the Beheader."
"That's not good." Tatsumi commented with a serious look on his face. "The Capital just seems to be filled with more crazy people than I thought."
"I'm with Tatsumi." Ieyasu agreed. "Why is this serial killer called the Black Widow anyway?"
"The name Black Widow is the name the Capital has deemed her." Najenda stated. "I don't agree with giving these vial monsters something with names, but it makes explanations easier. The name was because she has avoided capture while at the same time luring her preys into a trap, like a black widow spider would do. At the same time, the only identification given by the victim was her purple frame glasses and her black hair."
"That makes sense." Tatsumi commented.
"We have to get her." Ieyasu stated. He then followed this with his fist pounded into his open hand. "We can't let Ben bag this one."
"Stupid." Mine suddenly said at him. She seemed to be staring at him with annoyance. "Take that attitude with you and you'll be dead."
"Hey! Who asked you?!" Ieyasu yelled angrily.
"She's right, Ieyasu." Bulat spoke up. He was standing at his usual position with a serious look on her face. "Unlike Zank, we don't know about the Teigu she has."
"Huh? Really?" Tatsumi questioned. He was clearly surprised, by the look on his face, as his friend, Ieyasu, shared the same as they stared at him.
"That is correct." Najenda confirmed. She was able to get everyone's attention upon saying this, before then continuing. "You each will be in groups and search the Capital tonight. Be vigilant and don't try to fight the serial killer on your own. She might be more dangerous than you would think."
Everyone nodded in unison. They knew best to take in the boss's words, as they clearly meant a lot to them. Besides, they didn't know it yet, but Najenda's warning would be backed up by the threat that they would soon be facing.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Just as the day had taken the sky, so did the night as it took its place. The Capital had been bustling with news about the serial killer until the time when it became late at night. Hence, it wasn't surprising to find the street deserted of mostly civilians since it was obviously be out at night
However, there were some people that didn't take in the sense of danger. In fact, if anything, they were prepared for the one responsible for the tense feeling. So it wasn't surprising that Akame, Ieyasu and Tatsumi were walking the streets respectively, with the female assassin putting down a paper as she led them.
"Our search area is down this way." Akame said calmly.
Ieyasu nodded. He was right behind the female assassin, with his best friend behind him as he seemed to be looking around.
"Seems like the people of the Capital are too scared to come out at night anymore." Tatsumi said observantly.
Ieyasu nodded in agreement. "Yeah. They don't know how easy it would be to –"
Suddenly, the male assassin was caught off. It wasn't due to an unexpected attack, but actually because of Akame who covered his mouth with her hand and pulled him behind a building, with Tatsumi following suit by her pull. Then, before the two could then ask the reason for her action, the answer became clear when two Imperial officers ran off in front of the path they had been on.
"It's the Capital's city guards." Akame stated quietly. "Even these guys have shown up…We need to be careful."
Indeed, the female assassin was right. The Capital's guards could be seen on the streets, dispatching each other to various places due to the likely threat of the serial killer. Fortunately, the ones that Akame and the male assassins had seen before had run off, hence allowing them to walk out again freely. But it wasn't long after that a thought came to Tatsumi's mind.
"Hey, Akame." Tatsumi called. "Can I ask you something before we start the search?"
Ieyasu was mildly surprised to hear his friend's question. He couldn't think of what it was nor could he figure out a hint to it. However, even though it was attention grabbing, Akame got the wrong idea as she turned to him sideways.
"Don't worry. I brought snacks." The female assassin assured.
"That isn't what I wanted to ask." Tatsumi stated.
Now Akame was intrigued to hear him. It didn't make her to turn fully to him, but it did make her keep her attention on him as he then brought up what was on his mind.
"It's about Ben." Tatsumi said. "I know this may seem sudden, but…what do you think of Ben? Boss gave us an order to bring him to her. But I can't help but wonder what all of you think of it."
"What is there to think?" Akame questioned, though she sounded rhetorical. "The boss's orders are final. I will follow her no matter what."
"So you don't hold anything against Ben?" Tatsumi asked with mild concern.
"I do." Akame answered. "Ever since that night we fought him and lost, I've hoped to fight and eliminate him. He's powerful and also a threat to everyone. But since the boss has ordered that we try to convince him to come with us without force, I will hold that back and be mindful of him. I advise you do the same."
"Sure…" Tatsumi nodded.
Meanwhile, Ieyasu remained quiet. He had heard everything clearly and was in thought with what the female assassin had said. But rather than speak it out, he let those thoughts take over as he then followed Tatsumi and Akame, who were now walking away.
"I can see why Akame would be like that." Ieyasu thought deeply. "With the power Ben has, he could bring harm to a lot of people. But he hasn't done that. He helped the village and helped, Tatsumi, Sayo and I on different occasions…But then again, why would he choose Aria? It pisses me off when I think about it…Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that the Omnitrix is a powerful Teigu."
It had only been yesterday since Ieyasu and Tatsumi had inquired on Akame and Leone to tell them about a Teigu. It happened sometime after Najenda had told them about Zank the Beheader's execution, when they had seen the chance to bring it up. Fortunately, both females were able to lecture them on the mysterious (but yet powerful) weapons known as Teigu, with the thought of the Omnitrix being one of them.
Anyway, sometime passed before Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Akame finally took a break. They had searched the area of the Capital that they've been designated to search and found nothing that had to do with the Black Widow. Hence, they were seated at the front of a closed store while drinking of some juice.
"I don't think she's coming tonight." Ieyasu said with a bored look. "And to think, I finally get to be in the action. This sucks. What do you think, Tatsumi?"
"I feel the same way." Tatsumi answered. "But either way, we have no choice but to wait patiently, right?"
"Yeah, I guess." Ieyasu said dryly.
Just then, something in Tatsumi got his attention. It wasn't something of high alert, mainly because it concerned the male assassin's body. Hence, he got up and put down his drink before heading off to an alley.
"Excuse me for a minute." He said.
"Taking a bathroom break huh?" Akame questioned.
Ieyasu cocked a small grin. "Maybe I should come along. After all, that Black Widow might chop off your thing."
"Shut up." Tatsumi snapped in annoyance.
However, it had no negative effect on Ieyasu. The teen just ended up laughing, much to his friend's annoyance, as he still sat next to Akame. Fortunately, he was able to get to a place in the alley and get to do his 'business'.
"Ahhh! That's good." Tatsumi sighed in relief. "Damn that Ieyasu. Getting me so annoyed and intense. There's no way the serial killer would show up now."
"Yup, you might be right." replied a female voice.
Just then, Tatsumi's eyes flew wide. The voice he heard sounded like no one he knew. So when he heard it, he looked down and found a girl with black hair and purple frame glasses already squatted down and staring at his 'little friend'.
"Wow! You got a big size!" The girl stated chirpily.
"AAAHHHHH!" Tatsumi screamed.
From the teen's point of view, everything seemed to have happened so sudden. The girl that was there seemed to have come out of nowhere. Hence, it wasn't surprising then that he backed away from her and put his thing back in his pants before zipping it closed. At the same time, the girl just calmly stood up and smiled at him nicely.
"But it isn't as big as Antonio." The girl commented with a sweet tone.
"Wh-What?!" Tatsumi panted heavily. "Who are you?"
"Me?" The girl said and innocently tilted her head. "I'm just a girl looking for a fun night."
Tatsumi was confused. He couldn't add up what she meant by that, mainly because of the shock he was going through. But then it didn't seem the girl was going to wait for him to calm down, as she could already be seen walking pass him while humming a soft song.
"I'll catch you later, cutie." She said.
Just then, Tatsumi snapped out of his shock. He could see the girl walking away, before a feeling of concern and panic took over that led him to shout out to her.
"Wait!" He shouted.
However, the girl didn't seem to listen. The male assassin didn't know if she was ignoring him or couldn't hear him. But he did know he had to rush over to her, to which he then did. Hence, it wasn't long after that he followed her to her a large clearing before then coming to a stop.
"Hey, stop! It's too dangerous!" Tatsumi shouted.
"Hmm?" The girl innocently hummed. She then followed this by turning to him and smiling at him with a nice expression. "Dangerous? What do you mean?"
"You don't know?" Tatsumi asked with mild surprise. But then he shook his head and took a step forward to her before continuing. "Look, you have to go. There's a serial killer called the Black Widow and she's –"
"I don't see a serial killer." The girl interjected innocently.
Just then, something about her changed. Tatsumi didn't notice it yet, except by the sudden change of the atmosphere. But before he could question it, he felt a sudden pulse of negative energy from the girl as her innocent smile turned into a malicious grin.
"Are you talking about me?" The girl asked mischievously.
Just then, Tatsumi suddenly reacted. He didn't need to be told twice on the situation, as it was already clear before him. Hence, he drew out his sword and glared at the grinning girl before him with a serious look on his face.
"You're the serial killer. You're the Black Widow." Tatsumi stated.
"Wow, aren't you a smart one?" The girl joked. "But I guess that's to be expected from a member of Night Raid."
Tatsumi was shocked to hear her. However, he was able to keep his composure while standing in a fight stance in front of her.
"You knew we were here." Tatsumi stated.
"Knew?" The girl questioned slyly. "I've been watching you for a long time, especially you Tatsumi."
"Me?" Tatsumi asked, confused. "What do you want with me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The girl questioned playfully.
Just then, the girl made her move. It wasn't a rush or in a way of an attack. Instead, she walked casually to Tatsumi, who immediately made a jump backwards to have some distance away from her. However, this only seemed to interest the girl more as her sly grin never seemed to cease.
"Oh, I see." The girl said calmly. "You and everyone else were warned to not fight me by their lone self. Well I guess that explains why the rest of your members are grouped into two."
Tatsumi was again surprised by her words. He tried not to show it, as it was obvious by his reaction was exciting her. However, he couldn't help but also feel worried as he turned his eyes to his sides to see if Akame and Ieyasu were coming.
"Ha! I'm right." The girl stated proudly. "I don't read minds like Zank, but I can tell by your expression that you're waiting for your friends to back you up."
Tatsumi said nothing back. Instead, he furrowed his eyes back at the girl and put up a serious look at her. However, it didn't seem to faze the girl.
"Let me guess. It's Akame and Ieyasu." She said.
Tatsumi's eyes slightly grew wide. He was trying so hard to not look shocked at the serial killer in front of her. But then, that was easier said than done considering she seemed to have him figured out.
"Oh ho!" The girl laughed. "So that isn't going to make you want to fight me, huh? That's boring, you know that. So how about I put some fire in those eyes of yours? I know the one responsible for Sayo's death."
"How do you know about Sayo?" Tatsumi asked. He now had his eyes glaring at Sunny as he still kept his stance despite the way the situation was.
"Oh, isn't that obvious?" Sunny questioned slyly. "You would think Benny would mention me at least once. But then again, I shouldn't blame him. He and I never saw eye to eye."
"Benny?" Tatsumi questioned. "Are you talking about Ben?"
"Yup." The girl nodded chirpily.
Just then, her attitude changed. It changed to her sly attitude, as it was then followed by her slowly walking towards him.
"Now then…do you want to know about Sayo's killer?" She asked.
"Shut up!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.
Finally, the male assassin snapped. He couldn't stand the way the serial killer was playing about with Sayo's name. Hence, with a swift upward swing, he sent his sword down on the girl, cutting her into two.
"Don't ever talk about Sayo like that!" He yelled angrily.
Now at this point, the teen assassin had expected that he had killed the serial killer. After all, he had attacked her suddenly and felt his blade cut right through her body. So she should be dead and lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood.
However, the girl proved to be something beyond Tatsumi league. It was obvious by the fact that she was still standing on her feet despite a gap that was started from her left shoulder and ended at her right hip.
However, if that wasn't surprising enough, she did something unexpected. The large cut on her easily fixed itself, much to Tatsumi shock, before she then raised her hand at his chest and shot a pink energy blast at it that sent him flying to the ground on his back.
"Wow! Now that's what I'm talking about!" The girl exclaimed excitedly.
"Tch…" Tatsumi groaned.
The shot the teen received to the chest hurt. It had come unexpected and at the same time felt hot, as evident by the burnt hole that now revealed his chest. But rather than let the pain dictate him, he struggled back to his feet and shot a serious glare at the girl.
"That's some Teigu you have there. I've never faced a user before." Tatsumi said with a confident tone. "But bring it on, I won't back down."
"Yeeeeaaaahhh..." The girl said and giggled. "For someone who's smart, you can be so dumb. But then again, your world is primitive compared to where I'm from."
Tatsumi scowled in response. "You're not making any sense."
"Oh, I am." Sunny said slyly.
"Damn…This girl is messing with me." Tatsumi thought observantly. "And to make it worse, I still don't know what her Teigu is. Maybe I can hold her off verbally until Akame and Ieyasu arrive. I'm sure we can take her down together."
So with that, the teen assassin decided on his approach. He was still defensive about her though, as it was obvious by his stance. But he seemed certain of his idea before pushing on with it.
"Then who are you?" Tatsumi questioned. "How do you know Ben? And how do you know about Sayo and everything?"
"Hmm…Do you really want to know?" The girl questioned with her sly grin. "Don't think I'm dumb. I know you want to drag out the situation until your friends arrive. But I guess I can fill you in on some things. It'll be so much fun seeing your reaction."
Tatsumi said nothing back. He was mildly surprised that the girl knew his plan. But at the same time, he was unshaken by her attitude before she then spoke up again.
"The name is Sunny…Sunny Tennyson and I'm actually Benny's cousin." The girl stated.
"Ben's cousin? No way!" Tatsumi refused angrily. "Ben would never have someone like you as a family."
"Are you sure about that?" Sunny questioned amusedly. "You've only known Ben for some weeks now. And even then you barely know anything about him and his little Omnitrix. But if you don't believe me, then go ahead and don't. I'm actually the bad egg of the family, so I'm barely mentioned."
"Then why are you here?" Tatsumi asked. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he should believe Sunny in the slightest. But seeing that she wasn't attacking, he knew he should wait for the rest of Night Raid to come.
"I've already told you." Sunny stated. "I'm just a girl that's looking for a fun night."
"By killing innocent people?" Tatsumi questioned with mild anger.
"Innocent? How would you know that?" Sunny questioned rhetorically. She was enjoying the reaction she was getting from Tatsumi as she then continued. "I only killed thugs, rapists and the worse lowlifes. But if you're talking about the brunet lady, I guess I went overboard. I have no regrets though. She was a nice treat if you get what I mean."
Tatsumi gritted his teeth. The nonchalant way Sunny was acting was getting on his nerves. It was like she wanted to get him fired up and attack her. But, fortunately, he was able to hold the urge back as he stood there glaring at her with emotional restraint.
However, that didn't mean Sunny was going to back down. In fact, if anything, she could see she was getting on his nerves and liked it.
"By the way, Tatsumi, do you want to know who killed Sayo?" Sunny asked.
"Don't say her name!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Aria and her family killed her! Ieyasu saw it!"
"True." Sunny said nonchalantly. "That girl did kill her. But do you know how that really came to be? Maybe in some different timeline, her death was fully in the hands of the girl. But I can assure you that I'm the one to blame for it."
"You're talking crazy!" Tatsumi yelled.
"Am I?" Sunny giggled. "Well I won't lie to you; I am crazy in the head. But believe me, human, Sayo's death and your friend's suffering was because of me. I was there before you guys were ambushed by those bandits and I'm the one who prevented Ben from being there on time."
Tatsumi was silent to say anything. It wasn't due to shock, but rather because he was feeling less restraint to the serial killer before him. He couldn't believe what she was saying. But then again, Sunny noticed this by the seemingly stiff look on his face and continued.
"Did Ben ever mention about going to a lake?" She asked.
Tatsumi's eyes widened.
FLASHBACK
Ben and Tatsumi were seated at the living room of the Goodricke family. There, Aria's father, mother and the girl herself were seated at their respective positions as they heard Tatsumi's narration about the trouble he and his friends had gone through.
"So well…" Tatsumi continued. "We left in high spirits kind of like that. After that, we were attacked by night bandits and got separated."
"Oh dear." Aria's mother gasped.
"Yeah, that partly was my fault." Ben said and frowned. He turned his eyes away from the family before him as the thought of the past came to mind. "I decided to head back to a lake to check out something I thought I saw. By the time I got back, I was only able to catch up with Tatsumi."
FLASHBACK END
'No…' Tatsumi thought in shock. It was now obvious on his face that he was taken aback by the new revelation. "That means that you were…"
"The reason Ben turned back." Sunny concluded. She was enjoying the now present shocked look on his face as she continued. "I had just made my presence in this world, by the lake, when Ben noticed my usual pink light and went to investigate. But I already flew away before he could get there. So in other words…because I showed up, Benny wasn't there to save you guys on time. Sad, isn't it?"
Tatsumi was quiet to respond, He was no longer shocked, but rather angry as it was becoming obvious on his face. To think that all the things that happened back then was because of not only Aria, but also Sunny was something that began to piss him off. Hence, he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword, while trying to resist the urge he was feeling.
However, Sunny wasn't done with Tatsumi yet. She could see the rage building up in the teen and liked it with every second passing.
"Hmm, now that I think about it, wouldn't you, Ben, Ieyasu and Sayo still be together now?" Sunny asked amusedly. "Think about it. You four would still be with each other, having fun and being all buddy-buddy. But now Ieyasu and you are alone while Ben dumped your ass for Sayo's murderer and left Sayo for dead."
"SHUT UP!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.
For a while now, the teen assassin had endured emotionally. He had tried to endure Sunny's mockery and tried to keep down the anger building up in him. But atlas, he couldn't take it anymore. He hated Sunny so much that he jumped at her with a swing of her sword with no caution in mind.
However, Sunny was quick this time. She made a jump backwards and landed nicely on the ground with a wide grin on her face. At the same time, Tatsumi was standing on his feet again with his eyes glaring furiously at the girl.
"HAHA! Now that's the fire I was looking for!" Sunny exclaimed excitedly.
"I said shut up!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Ieyasu…Sayo…Ben. We were meant to fight together until the end!"
"The end?" Sunny questioned with amusement. "That sounds like a childish promise, if you ask me."
Tatsumi was furious upon hearing that. The way Sunny said it nonchalantly and commented on something his friends and him had stood for began to increase his nerve. Hence, with a yell, he leapt into the air and came down on Sunny with his sword. But before he could strike, the serial killer jumped back and came to a stop, with Tatsumi landing on the ground again.
However, the male assassin didn't end his assault. He already had enough to do with talking, as his mind was set on killing the serial killer before him. Hence, the moment he landed on the ground, he charged at Sunny and slashed his sword for her chest. But then the girl jumped back to avoid his sword, before ducking her upper body to avoid another slash of his sword. Then, as he brought his sword up and then sent it down on her, she spun to his side and stood with her hands behind her back.
"Miss me!" Sunny sang playfully.
Tatsumi growled in response. The way Sunny was being light of the fight was beginning to frustrate him. Hence, the moment she had said those words, the teen swiftly turned to Sunny with a push of his sword forward and watched the outcome. He had expected to succeeded, as that move was swift. But then Sunny moved her head out of the way and made a few steps to her side before facing him.
However, once again, Tatsumi didn't hesitate to strike. He turned to her again with a swing of his sword while letting out another cry. Unfortunately for him, Sunny dodged his attack again as she made a leap backwards and landed gracefully on her feet with her hands still behind her back.
"Goody! Goody!" Sunny cheered and clapped her hands. "You're so much fun, Tatsumi!"
"This isn't a game!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. "Stop dodging and fight me! I won't let you get away for what you've done!"
"Oh…Is that so?" Sunny questioned and maliciously grinned.
However, Tatsumi didn't respond back. The male assassin was still fueled with anger when he had spoken up. Hence, he charged at Sunny before making a straight leap at her with his sword straightforward. But then, rather than hit her, the girl suddenly disappeared in a small flash of light, which then led to Tatsumi landing on the ground angry and confused.
"Wh-Where is she?!" Tatsumi shouted angrily.
Suddenly, Sunny appeared right behind him. She had a psychotic grin on her face, as her mind now was filled with evil intent.
"I'm right here, Tatsumi." Sunny said.
Just then, the girl made her move. She made sure Tatsumi only had a few seconds to turn to her, before placing her hand softly on his left shoulder.
Now normally such a move won't be harmful. It didn't seem like she was coming at him with any force at all. However, her hand was glowing pink, which by itself held a lot of power that immediately felt like a hard impact to Tatsumi. Hence, the guy cried out in pain and fell on one knee before Sunny disappeared again.
'Wh-What the hell was that?' Tatsumi thought in a mix of shock and pain. 'She patted me on the back…and yet it felt like I was struck with some kind of iron.'
Just then, Sunny appeared before him. She stood before him without saying a word, as her malicious and psychotic face expression seemed to be doing all the talking. To her, Tatsumi was another prey, which she would be more than happy to snap at any second. Sadly, the male assassin didn't seem to realize it yet when he got back on his feet with a strained look on his face.
Now, at this point, it would've been best for the teen to realize his position… However, when he did send his sword straightforward to Sunny chest, it became very clear. He was able to pierce the girl's chest like he wanted, but it didn't seem like it fazed the girl at all. In fact, it just amused her, especially as she saw the shocked look on his face.
"Naughty boy." Sunny said slyly. "Didn't your mum tell you to not touch a lady's chest?"
Tatsumi said nothing back in response. He was trying to come to terms with what just happened right in front of it. Hence, his slow response was what gave Sunny the upper hand. She then grabbed the blade with a small grip, before engulfing it into an aura of pink energy. Then, right before Tatsumi's eyes, his blade turned into roses which then fell to the ground.
"M-My sword!" Tatsumi gasped in shock.
The male assassin was taken aback to see what just happened. The sword he had carried from the village and used on numerous fights was gone, with his hand holding the handle of it. But if that wasn't enough, Sunny poked his visible chest with her finger and sent him flying meters away before he could react.
This time, however, Tatsumi would not be able to get up easily. He was forced to bounce on the ground as he was sent flying back until his body came to a stop. It didn't excuse the pain that he was feeling there though. In fact, the teen felt terrible hurt as he now lay on the ground on his back with a pained look on his face.
'Damn…I fell right into her trap.' Tatsumi thought painfully. 'I let my anger get the best of me…I have to get up.'
And so, the teen assassin tried to. He tried to ignore the pain going off on his hurt body by trying to sit up. But just as that happened, his body was engulfed in a pink aura which suddenly caused an immense weight that caused him to fall flat on the ground with a hard strained look on his face.
"What…Why do I feel so heavy?" Tatsumi questioned.
Sunny giggled. She could see as she was walking towards him that the teen was in so much pain. Hence, she answered his question with a sweet tone.
"That's gravity." Sunny said. "And by that, I mean the gravity of the earth, but five times worse."
Tatsumi groaned in pain. He knew exactly what the crazy girl was saying and didn't like it. But it wasn't like he had any way to object to her. Besides, he could already hear Sunny approaching him further until she squatted next to his face with that psychotic sly look on her face and her fingers rubbing his cheek.
"Oh, but don't worry. I won't kill you first." Sunny said with a 'smooth' tone. "No…I need you to stay alive until I've met Akame. She's the one I want now."
"Yo…You…stay…away…from…her." Tatsumi managed to say.
"Oh, it's too late. She's already here." Sunny replied smugly.
Just then, the unexpected happened. A familiar looking katana came straight down on Sunny, who then stood up and jumped back just in time to avoid it. Then, with a leap downwards, both Akame and Ieyasu landed on the ground, with the female assassin grabbing her katana and staring at the psychotic killer before them.
"Yay! You made it!" Sunny cheered. Then she grinned madly. "Now the fun can really begin."
Akame wasn't impressed it, with the same going for Ieyasu. The both of them had searched for Tatsumi when they noticed he was gone. And now that they did, the both of them stood battle ready before the serial killer in front of them.
At the same time, Tatsumi was relieved. The gravity effect Sunny had put on him immediately ceased and gave him the moment to take in a deep breath to fill in his hurt lungs. It was then at that moment that Ieyasu turned to see him and was shocked at what saw.
"Damn, Tatsumi. You got beaten badly." Ieyasu said. "Just hold on for a while, Akame and I will take this bitch down soon."
Akame nodded silently. She didn't need to look back to know that the state Tatsumi was in was bad. Hence, she was battle ready to take on the serial killer before her, with Ieyasu by her side. The boss had given orders to fight together, after all.
"Yes, just wait here." Akame said. "We'll end this quickly and tend to your wounds."
Tatsumi was somewhat relieved to hear that. But at the same time, he was worried about the possible outcome of the battle. After all, Sunny was beyond what he had fought before, especially with the fact that she seemed to back up what she claimed. Hence, the teen struggled to sit up, but failed and fell to his side.
"Be careful, guys…" Tatsumi said cautiously. "That girl…She's not a Teigu user…She's Ben's cousin."
"His cousin?" Ieyasu questioned in surprise. The fact that he heard that from Tatsumi then made him to turn to Sunny in anger. "There's no way this bitch is his family."
"He's right." Sunny confirmed with a smile. "I'm Benny's cousin and not a Teigu user…But at the same time, I'm very special." Then she turned her attention to Akame. "By the way, you're the famous assassin, Akame of Night Raid, right? I've been looking forward to meeting you in person. I can tell we'll have lots of fun."
"Like hell I'll let that happen!" Ieyasu yelled angrily.
However, Sunny didn't seemed disturbed by him. If anything, she became mildly annoyed by his interruption by the look of disgust she then gave him. Hence, with a raise of her hand at him, a pink energy wrapped around the teen's mouth, surprising him and shutting his mouth closed.
"Geez, what's with impolite boys these days?" Sunny questioned playfully. "One moment their stabbing your chest with their sword and the next they're rude enough to interrupt. I guess this is why I always prefer to do things with girls. Am I right, Akame?"
Akame said nothing back. She had been taken aback by Sunny's move on Ieyasu, as it hadn't been expected by her. But now that she saw a sample of her power, she stood firmly in her stance with the readiness to attack. As for Ieyasu, he tried removing the pink energy thing around his mouth and failed. It was fortunate it didn't also cover his nose otherwise he would be suffocating.
'What is this thing? It won't get off.' Ieyasu thought in frustration. 'I can't let Akame and this bitch fight without me. Leone and Akame already told Tatsumi and I that two Teigu users with the intent to kill can only emerge with one winner.'
Suddenly, Sunny smirked. "I sense doubt in you, human. Maybe I should show you my true form."
"True form?" Akame asked with mild confusion.
'What is she talking about?' Tatsumi thought with mixed reaction. Unlike the female assassin, he was worried about what Sunny meant.
'Shit...That doesn't sound good.' Ieyasu thought frustratingly.
At this point, even though the fight hadn't begun, the tension was rising. Sunny stood mischievously before them while Akame and Ieyasu got into fighting stances in case of an attack. It didn't matter to the male assassin that his mouth was shut; he was certain that he could still fight.
However, there was a problem. Sunny didn't plan on fighting them yet. She knew she could take both of them on easily without using much of her power. Hence, she did the most unexpected thing possible. She let her entire body be covered in a pink aura, before levitating herself a few feet in the air and letting her human skin fall to the ground, much to the shock of everyone.
"Holy shit…" Tatsumi gasped with widened eyes.
The male assassin wasn't the only one to feel shocked though. Ieyasu was speechless at what he was seeing, with the same going for Akame. Sunny had once stood before them as a human being, only to then reveal a form that none of them could ever have expected.
It was now obvious to them that Sunny wasn't human. She now levitated in the air as a humanoid-shaped being with light purple color skin with long pigtail energy that symbolized her hair on her head. Along with this, her 'hair' was bright pinkish purple in color, with a glow, while she also wore a dress which composed of a mostly purple dress, except by the arms as they were black in color. At the same time, she wore long purple stockings and had pink eyes.
"What are you?" Akame asked with mild shock on her face. She didn't want to show weakness in front of the enemy. But even her stern personality could be taken by surprise at times. Hence, it pleased Sunny.
"I'm Sunny Tennyson, an Anodite." Sunny answered honestly. "I'm part of a species that come from planet deep in space, in my universe anyway. In short, you can say I'm an alien, just like the things my cousin turn into."
'Universe?' Ieyasu thought.
Just then, the pink energy on his lip disappeared. It was due to Sunny's influence, as she had heard his thought and wanted to hear him.
"Yes, universe." Sunny confirmed. "I don't know if your kind has started to understand the universe, so I'll fill you in. A universe is vast and endless space filled with planets, stars and so on. I come from another universe, which Benny also comes from."
"No way…" Tatsumi gasped. The look of shock seemed long on his face as he was staring at Sunny. "That's impossible. Ben isn't like you."
"He is...sort of." Sunny said. "He just doesn't have the spark. We're related by our grandmother, who's a total joy killer and a total bitch. As for his Omnitrix, it's not one of your pathetic Teigu. It's a powerful alien device that grants him the power to turn into any alien in its disposal."
Everyone was baffled at the new information. They had each held a different concept of Ben and the world they lived in. But now as they stood there in the presence of an alien from another universe, they were completely shaken by the new information. Fortunately, Akame was always one to control her emotion as she still stood in her stance.
"Why are you telling us this?" Akame asked in a demanding tone. "My guess is you're not going to let us live after this."
Sunny giggled in response. "You're right…kind of." Then she stopped. She took the time after to fly down and reattach once again in her human skin before smirking as she stared at the trio. "I like you, Akame, so I'll let you live and enjoy the pleasuring things. As for those two, they'll die and rejoin with their dear friend, Sayo. It isn't nice to leave a friend alone, you know."
"You bitch!" Ieyasu shouted angrily. "I'll kill you!"
"Ieyasu, no!" Tatsumi shouted.
However, it was too late. The teen assassin was fueled with rage, just like Tatsumi had been before to listen. Hence, before Akame could stop him, he ran as fast as he could and leapt to the air, where he then began coming down on Sunny with his axe ready to slice her.
"Hmph." Sunny smirked.
In Ieyasu's view, he was coming down fast at Sunny. However, to the Anodite's view, he was coming down on her so slow that it was amusing. Hence, rather than let him strike her, she did nothing physically except mentally making him stop in mid-air with a pink aura all over his body.
"I…I can't move." Ieyasu stuttered.
"I know." Sunny said pleasingly. "That's the idea."
And with that came the most unexpected thing. The girl raised her finger at Ieyasu's axe and touched the blade without any harm. Then, by withdrawing that finger, she watched as the axe exploded with such force that the teen cried out in pain and hit the ground unconscious and wounded.
"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi cried out in shock.
"Relax. He's not dead…yet." Sunny said with excitement. Then she turned to Akame with that same look on her face. "Now then, do you believe you can beat me on your own or are you going to surrender and beg for my mercy?"
"I will never do that." Akame stated firmly. She wasn't afraid of the Anodite before her as she continued. "You hurt Tatsumi and Ieyasu. I'll take you down on my own."
"I'm glad you said that." Sunny said excitedly. "But just to make it a fair fight, I'll use just one finger to fight you, how about that? Do you think you're strong enough to overcome my finger?"
Akame said nothing back. She had her stern glare at Sunny as she stood in her stance. But it wasn't long after that she then charged at the Anodite, ready to strike her down.
At the same time, Sunny didn't seem fazed by her action. In fact, she grinned as she then raised her right hand's finger, with it glowing pink.
"I'll take that as a yes." She said.
_(LINE BREAK)_
And that's where I'll stop for now. Originally, this chapter was going to end with Akame and Ieyasu just landing on time, but I decided against it. As for the plans that came with that, I had them changed once I decided that Ieyasu should be taken down.
Now to those who may want to correct me that Sunny isn't technically a Tennyson, I just want to say that she considers herself one due to a reason that will show up in the upcoming chapters. But in the case that she is and I'm wrong to have stated this, then I'm sorry.
Also, you may be wondering why Sunny's Anodite form looks different. Well it's due to the fact that the Anodites in Omniverse looks different. That isn't to say I based it off her Anodite Omniverse redesign, mainly because there is none. But I did try to tie it in with the Anodite redesign of Verdona that didn't make it into the show. You can check it in the Ben 10 wiki.
Anyway, before I end this author's note, I just want to say that I enjoyed finally bringing Sunny into an official debut. The cameos I gave her were good since I was having them build up to this very chapter. And now you'll get to see what Sunny is made up. She's more powerful than she was in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien in this fanfiction. So do you think she'll be able to beat Akame or will the assassin be able to outwit her? Find out in the next chapter.
Thank you once again for reading this. Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Also, be sure to favorite and follow if you have in order to be notified of more chapters. Bye!
P.S. This chapter is over 8,000 words, just so you know.